The Martial Soul Hall's Holy Son

His voice was clear and bright, neither servile nor overbearing, possessing exactly the demeanor a junior should have when paying respects to a senior.

Qian Daoliu looked at him, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"Mm." Qian Daoliu responded, his voice a few degrees gentler than before as he looked at Gu Qingshan and nodded.

The Worship Hall fell silent.

Bibi Dong felt the time was right.

She stepped forward, standing beside Gu Qingshan, her gaze sweeping over every elder present before finally resting on Qian Daoliu's back.

The majesty of the Pope was fully revealed in this moment, an aura belonging to a ruler that radiated from within.

"Great Elder."

"Qingshan is exceptionally gifted; a Soul Ancestor at six years old is unprecedented. Furthermore, he has made significant contributions to the Martial Soul Hall. I propose he be named the Holy Son of the Martial Soul Hall, with the right of succession to the Papal throne."

The air in the Worship Hall froze.

Holy Son of the Martial Soul Hall.

Then, the elders took note of the "significant contributions" in Bibi Dong's words.

Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned.

Having lived for over a hundred years, he was long past the age of digging into every little detail.

If Bibi Dong said this child had made significant contributions to the Martial Soul Hall, then he certainly had.

The Pope would not speak recklessly on such an occasion.

He spent his days in the Worship Hall and knew little of outside affairs, but a matter of the level of "significant contribution" should, by all rights, have been reported to him.

Yet, he hadn't heard a whisper of it.

"Significant contributions to the Martial Soul Hall? How come I am unaware of this?"

The other elders also pricked up their ears.

Bibi Dong looked at Gu Qingshan and said with great pride, "Qingshan has subdued the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and the Nine Heart Begonia family."

The Worship Hall went deathly silent, the elders' expressions shifting from confusion to shock.

Subduing a Title Douluo and winning over a family with a top-tier support martial soul were no small matters; these were enough to bolster the foundation of the Martial Soul Hall.

No one spoke; they were all waiting for Qian Daoliu's reaction.

Qian Daoliu was slightly moved, but he did not respond immediately.

A moment later, he finally spoke.

"With Qingshan's aptitude, he is worthy of the position of Holy Son."

No one objected, for Qian Daoliu had already made the final call. In the Martial Soul Hall, the Great Elder's decision was the final decision.

No one had the authority to change it, nor would anyone attempt to.

Qian Daoliu looked at Gu Qingshan, his usually placid face growing even gentler.

"The investiture ceremony will be held in three days."

From this day forward, this child would no longer be merely the Pope's disciple, but the official, public, and universally recognized heir of the Martial Soul Hall.

Gu Qingshan bowed again.

"Yes, Great Elder!"

Qian Daoliu nodded and turned to walk toward the depths of the Worship Hall.

Bibi Dong stood where she was, watching the direction in which Qian Daoliu had disappeared, the smile on her lips nearly impossible to suppress.

Early the next morning, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the gate of Gu Qingshan's villa.

At that time, Gu Qingshan had not long been awake. He was wearing a loose bathrobe, his hair a bird's nest, and he was chewing on a Blue Silver Leaf while swaying on the swing in his courtyard.

Then, he heard footsteps—noisy, chaotic, and rhythmic with a certain agitation.

Gu Qingshan opened his eyes and tilted his head toward the gate.

The gate was not closed.

A crowd of people surged in, grand and imposing.

What Gu Qingshan did not know was that these people were the core members of the younger generation of the Martial Soul Hall—the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the elders, the "princelings" who had grown up in the Martial Soul Hall.

They wore various spirit master robes with the Martial Soul Hall emblem pinned to their chests, heads held high and chests puffed out, their gazes burning.

Gu Qingshan chewed on the Blue Silver Leaf, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one, and he understood the situation.

They were all here for the sake of the Holy Son.

The news from the Worship Hall yesterday had quickly spread throughout the city. Hearing that the Martial Soul Hall was to appoint a six-year-old Holy Son, it would be strange if these geniuses, who had been pampered since childhood, were satisfied.

This bunch had certainly risen early!

Full of energy, hot-blooded, and convinced they were the chosen ones, they all felt that the position of Holy Son should have been theirs.

In reality, they had barely stepped onto a real battlefield, had never experienced true life-or-death struggles, and only knew how to show off on the training grounds or put on airs in front of their peers.

Gu Qingshan looked at them, suddenly finding it somewhat amusing.

Soon, Bibi Dong arrived with Hu Liena and the other two.

Bibi Dong stood on the steps of the villa, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the young people, her purple eyes devoid of the slightest hint of anger.

On the contrary, the corners of her mouth were slightly curved, as if she were watching a good show.

She certainly knew why these people had come.

Yet she did not reprimand them, nor did she use the authority of the Pope to suppress the matter.

Instead, she made a decision that left everyone present stunned.

"Any Soul Master within Martial Soul Hall under the age of twenty may challenge Gu Qingshan," Bibi Dong's voice rang out clearly for everyone in the courtyard to hear. "Whoever defeats Gu Qingshan shall become the Holy Son."

There was a moment of silence.

Then, the entire crowd erupted.

The position of Holy Son.

The first Holy Son in the history of Martial Soul Hall; whoever defeated Gu Qingshan would claim the title.

In their eyes, this was nothing short of a gift falling from the heavens.

Who was Gu Qingshan? A six-year-old child. No matter how high his talent, he was still just a child. How much combat experience could a six-year-old possibly have?

They rubbed their hands and grew eager, as if the position of Holy Son were already within their grasp.

Hu Liena stood on the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed, watching these young people who had become so excited they had lost all sense of reason, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

The scene from over half a year ago was still deeply etched in her memory; the three of them, all Soul Elder, had joined forces to attack Gu Qingshan, only to be sent flying in a single exchange.

Back then, Gu Qingshan was only level fifteen and hadn't even used a soul skill, yet his passive recoil alone had left all three of them severely injured.

Now, Gu Qingshan was level forty-three.

They had no idea how terrifying Gu Qingshan's recoil was now, but it was certainly not something these so-called "geniuses" could handle.

Hu Liena looked at Gu Qingshan, who had landed in the center of the training ground.

Gu Qingshan was pulling a Blue Silver Leaf from his pocket, his movements lazy, as if he hadn't fully woken up yet.

The corner of Hu Liena's mouth curved upward.

These people would soon learn the meaning of despair.

Gu Qingshan chewed on the Blue Silver Leaf, watching the young people warm up and discuss tactics, feeling utterly speechless.

With time like this, wouldn't it be better to stay home and take a bath?

But his teacher had said this was a good opportunity to establish his authority.

Fine, establish authority it is; it would save him from having every Tom, Dick, and Harry coming to cause him trouble in the future.

Gu Qingshan finished chewing the Blue Silver Leaf, swallowed it, and casually sized up the youngsters before him.

Then, he discovered a pair of eyes staring fixedly at him, the gaze as scorching as two balls of fire.

Gu Qingshan felt a shiver run down his spine.